There's a new Super Smash Bros. for 3DS commercial for Japan. The ad introduces the game's Mii Fighter function—how you can create your own fighters for the game. To do so, customized Miis of Japanese pop group AKB48 appeared in the ad. Online in Japan, some were not happy about this. »9/08/14 8:00am 9/08/14 8:00am

Two members of idol group AKB48, Rina Kawaei and Anna Iriyama, were attacked at an event this weekend by a saw-brandishing man. Both sustained cuts on their hands and head, but are expected to recover from their injuries. The suspect, 24-year-old Satoru Umeta, was arrested for attempted murder. [Thanks Mox Factor!] »5/26/14 4:40am 5/26/14 4:40am

If you follow Japanese pop, you know that groups don't get much bigger than AKB48. (Literally!) One of the troupe's latest singles was allegedly copied by a Chinese variety program. »1/20/14 7:00am 1/20/14 7:00am

For several weeks after its release, every game store I went to was sold out of Square Enix's 3DS game, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. The game has proved to be a hit in Japan, thanks in part, indirectly, according to producer Tomoya Asano, to Japan's biggest pop idol group, AKB48. »4/11/13 4:00am 4/11/13 4:00am

Last week, Japanese singer Minami Minegishi shaved her head after a tabloid photographed her leaving a boy band member's house. In the strict world of Japanese idols, dating boys is a no-no. Cover-ups, however, are totally fine. »2/06/13 6:00am 2/06/13 6:00am

Remember when Britney Spears cut off all her hair? That was disconcerting. This week, Minami Minegishi, a member of Japan's biggest girl group AKB48, appeared in a YouTube video, apologizing and crying. Her head was shaved. Likewise, disconcerting. »2/02/13 3:00am 2/02/13 3:00am

On the eve of an election, a politician stood before a crowd. The speech was fiery. And flags fluttered. If this were anywhere else, nobody would think twice. But this wasn't anywhere. It was Tokyo. »12/17/12 7:30am 12/17/12 7:30am

The Wii U is out in North America, but Japan will have to wait until December to get the new Nintendo console. To build hype, Nintendo is now running commercials for the hardware. But that's not the only game in town. There are entire channels filled to the brim with wonderful Japanese commercials. Some of them are… »11/21/12 7:30am 11/21/12 7:30am

Earlier this year,
AKB48 »8/24/12 5:30am 8/24/12 5:30am—Japan's biggest girl group—released a candy commercial that pretty much the entire country. This year, AKB48 is back with a new ad that won't gross everyone out. It'll freak them out instead. Progress!

There's this notion that "kawaii" (可愛い) or "cute" rules Japan. That's not entirely true. Everything isn't simply cute—and kawaii isn't the only game in town. There's also gurokawaii (グロカワイイ). This is the world of the grotesque and sadistic filtered
through »8/23/12 4:00am 8/23/12 4:00am kawaii. This is the world of Momoka Kinoshita.

They were called the "Five Guys". Fitting, because there were five of them. They weren't just buddies. They were apparently criminals, who went on a crime spree that resulted in burglary and arson. And they were nerds.

Japan's biggest girl group, AKB48, starred in a
new series of candy ads »4/23/12 4:01am 4/23/12 4:01am that aren't only raising eyebrows, but also ire. In the ads, the girls passed pieces of soft candy to each other via their mouths, making it look like they are kissing. The commercial has been getting complaints from parents concerned about kids…

Japanese idol group AKB48 hold meet-and-greet events in which its young idols shake hands with their rabid fans. It's a chance for their adoring public to rub elbows with their favorite singers. »4/17/12 6:40am 4/17/12 6:40am